Wawa submits initial plans for new location in Springfield as next Middle TN location
Wawa, an East Coast convenience store and gas station chain, has its sights set on Robertson County as their next Middle Tennessee location.
Initial plans were recently submitted by Wawa representatives to city of Springfield officials.
“I can confirm that Wawa representatives met with city of Springfield staff and submitted initial plans to open a store in the former Rite-Aid location on Memorial Boulevard and Tom Austin Highway,” Springfield Public Affairs Coordinator Natasha Tice said.
Though Wawa officials are unable to confirm current activity in the Springfield community, representatives are actively looking into the Nashville market.
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“We can’t confirm specific locations or timelines at this stage in the process. We can, however, say that we are actively looking into potential sites for new Wawa stores in the Nashville markets,” Wawa Senior Manager of Media Relations Lori Bruce said. “It’s too soon in the process to confirm locations or timelines, but we look forward to sharing more information on our growth plans as plans take shape.”
“As a privately held, family and associate-owned company, we are most excited to share our unique culture and store experience, which has resulted in family-like bonds with our associates, our customers and our communities," Bruce continued. "As our Wawa family grows into new markets, we will forever treasure the important role we play in fulfilling customers’ lives.”
More: 'Knew they had a fanbase, but wow:' Nashville eyed for Tennessee's first Wawa location
Headquartered in Wawa, Pennsylvania, the convenience store chain promotes an all-day, every-day stop for built-to-order hoagies, freshly brewed coffee and fuel services.
It shares a devoted following similar to Buc-ee’s, a mega convenience store and gas station chain, with most stores operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
More than 35,000 associates are employed by Wawa in stores located across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.
More: Wawa convenience market, an East Coast favorite, teases Nashville locations
Its first Nashville store is slated to open in 2025, with up to 40 other store locations anticipated for the market in the future, according to an expansion announcement originally released in June 2022.
“With a commitment to fulfilling lives in our community, we’re thrilled to continue our growth in new markets to provide quality fresh food, beverages and support to new friends and neighbors,” Wawa Vice President of Real Estate John Poplawski said in the press release.
“We are excited to expand beyond our current operating area and look forward to serving the community come 2025 and beyond.”
Before representatives spoke with Springfield officials, plans for a proposed new Dickson Wawa store location were presented in April 2023 to the Dickson Planning Commission.
More: Wawa eyes Dickson for new Middle TN store at prominent I-40 site
But Tennessee isn’t the only market Wawa’s expansion plan has targeted. The chain shared plans for expansion into new, adjacent markets over the next few years. Recently, it broke ground on its first North Carolina store in May 2023.
The convenience store chain also has plans to expand into the Florida panhandle, Georgia and Alabama, with the first stores projected to open in those markets in 2024. New areas of interest, such as Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, were identified by an expansion announcement originally released in December 2022.
Wawa officials are seeking site suggestions for potential locations, including adjacent and new market areas online at www.wawa.com/about/real-estate/site-submission.
Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Wawa submits initial plans for new location in Springfield
